JIRI KALFAR’S SPARKLING SS19 SHOW

Jiri Kalfar is a Czech based designer, who infuses his innate sense of style into garments with folk-art inspired prints and innovative cuts. His womenswear is feminine and wearable, and his menswear pushes boundaries with its gender fluidity.

His collections have been featured in Vogue Italia, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar and many others.

American magazine Nylon selected his as one of the eight emerging to watch in 2015 and French magazine L’Officiel selected him as one of-the-new-wave emerging designers.

“The show was amazing, I’m so happy with how it went! I always enjoy it here – the building is beautiful, and the people are so nice.”

Photography by Erefua Boakye

“THE FASHION INDUSTRY IS A DIRTY INDUSTRY AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO START GETTING THE WORD ACROSS BECAUSE THEN PEOPLE GET IT. I’VE SEEN ACTUALLY A LOT OF BIG BRANDS CHANGING THEIR POLICY ON SUSTAINABILITY AND I THINK IT’S BECAUSE THE FASHION WORLD IS CHANGING AND IF THE SMALL DESIGNERS DON’T SPEAK OUT, THEN THE BIG ONES WON’T FOLLOW. IT’S IMPORTANT. AT LEAST LEAD BY EXAMPLE.”

JIRI KALFAR

The stunningly elegant show saw many looks glittering down the runway. In shades of green, blue, pink and red, sequins were a theme in this collection, with each look sparkling under the lights. “The sequins have been upcycled from unwanted clothes, so it prevents waste” says Jiri.

He continues, “sustainability goes very much in the recycling and upcycling of products and working on zero waste, so the majority of the fabric, although not technically ‘sustainable’ have been recycled from pieces that would otherwise have been thrown away.”

The gender fluid collection saw men and women wearing sequined items, jacquard suiting, and neck-tie blouses. Green chiffon leopard print was paired with black and green sequined skirts, with the textures contrasting and setting one another off.

“The shoes were created by a 3D printer with as little use of plastic as possible. They’re completely biodegradable and are made from corn and wood, but they are perfect to walk in!”